WORLD HEAD OF AHMADIYYA MUSLIM COMMUNITY
SPEAKS OF GLOBAL PERSECUTION

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad
states that no Ahmadi could ever countenance changing their beliefs

Speaking during one of his weekly address, His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza
Masroor Ahmad, Head of the World-wide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in
Islam has spoken of the discrimination faced by members of the Community
in various countries throughout the world.

His Holiness began his sermon by reminding members of the Community
that at times of difficulty a person with true faith does not despair
but in fact becomes closer to God Almighty. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
has suffered persecution since its inception but recently it has been
observed that in certain countries the maltreatment of the Jamaat
has amplified.

Speaking regarding this issue, His Holiness said:

The reason we are persecuted is due to the burning jealousy within
our opponents.

Non Muslims cannot bear to see Islam succeed whilst in the wider Muslim
community the Mullahs are fearful that their followers may realize the
truth of Ahmadiyyat and subsequently turn away from them.

It is an irrefutable truth that the Ahmadiyya Community has prospered
in the face of great adversity throughout its history. The strength
of the Jamaat has always been in its unity. Indeed His Holiness
compared the Community to a physical body whereby if even one person
suffered then the whole body was affected. Through this perfect unity
the Ahmadiyya Jamaat has always flourished and consequently the
various obstacles positioned by the oppressors have been unable to break
through the united walls of the Ahmadiyya Community. The Jamaat
has suffered persecution in Pakistan since the very beginning and this
despite the fact that the Ahmadiyya Community played a very prominent
role in achieving an independent Muslim State.

His Holiness mentioned how the cruelty is continuing to this very day,
he said: Whenever the opportunity arises false allegations are
made against Ahmadi Muslims in Pakistan. Just recently a thirteen year
old boy was arrested on the spurious grounds that he had physically
beaten a Maulvi2! How senseless is such a claim? That a young boy could
injure a fully grown man to such an extent that he was hospitalized!
The purpose of their cruelty is to frighten our young generation to
such an extent that they may give up the practice of their faith. However
I have received many, many letters from youngsters who swear by God
that they are willing to sacrifice their time, their wealth, their dignity
and even their lives for the sake of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat.

His Holiness spoke also of persecution in India and in the Arab world.
In India representatives of the Community are regularly subjected to
various threats. Whilst in the Arab world the Governments of certain
countries, unable to stomach the success of the Ahmadiyya television
channel MTA Al Arabia, closed it down. However, this incident
actually turned into an avenue of success for the Community because
as a result of the ban, contact was made with another company and now
the satellite coverage is much greater and has spread to countries such
as Morocco.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has also suffered in Indonesia for a
number of years. Houses and Mosques have been burnt or destroyed and
members of the Community have been attacked. Recently a move was made
to try and ban the Ahmadiyya Jamaat from the country however this
move was ultimately not sanctioned by the Government. Nevertheless a
local newspaper printed a story which suggested that the reason the
Government had chosen not to ban the Jamaat was because it had
changed some of its core beliefs. This was a totally unfounded allegation
made against the Community.

Commenting upon this His Holiness said:

The Ahmadiyya Jamaat believes that Hazrat Mirza Ghulam
Ahmad of Qadian was the true Promised Messiah and Mahdi (Guided One).
We could never stray from this conviction because the beauty of the
Jamaat is based upon its belief that the Founder of the Community
was the true Promised Messiah and Mahdi as foretold by the Holy Prophet
Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

However the content of the article was immediately rejected by the
Jamaat and to its credit the said newspaper printed a statement
clarifying the issue on 23 January 2008.

His Holiness concluded by stating that any suggestion that the Indonesian
Ahmadiyya Community had weakened in the face of persecution was wholly
unjustified. No member of the Community ever entertained the slightest
doubt regarding the status of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. As the Promised
Messiah himself wrote, his status as a non-law bearing Prophet was bestowed
upon him by God Almighty and thus no person or organization could ever
take this mantle away from him.

Speaking on the issue, the Press Secretary of the Ahmadiyya Muslim
Community A. Abdul Aziz said, It is a basic teaching of Islam that religion
is a matter for each and every individual to determine freely and without
coercion. The practice of ones religion, so long as it does not
interfere with the rights of others, is a fundamental human right. It
is this right that is being denied to Ahmadi Muslims. However members
of the Community always are certain that such cruelty will never harm
the prosperity of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.

Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Islam founded by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam
Ahmad of Qadian, India in 1889, spreading throughout the world with
the population of over 220 million in190 countries.

End of Release

A. Abdul Aziz.
Press Secretary,
Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamath,
Sri Lanka.

Mobile: +94 777753440

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